Chapter 9. I Didn’t Mean to Make You Fall for Me
9th Princess.
***
Despite receiving suspicious glances, I maintained a courteous posture, glancing back and forth between the 13th prince and the 7th prince.
See, disciple. Look at this. I’m taking your side.
But it was the 7th prince who reacted first.
The 7th prince raised his hand, and before I knew it, a sharp slap echoed in my ears as my vision shifted to the side.
“!”
I had declined his request politely enough, but the 7th prince, unable to contain his anger, struck me across the face.
‘Seriously, that temperament. There’s a reason my disciple got rid of him quickly in the previous life.’
Though my cheek throbbed, I managed to keep my expression in check.
Thankfully, although he had an explosive temper, the 7th prince wasn’t completely foolish. He was the type whose temper flared before his mind kicked in.
After letting his anger dictate his actions, the 7th prince seemed to realize his mistake and lowered his hand.
Even though the 13th prince was a powerless half-brother, he must have remembered that our Yo Clan had held the Il-Sa-Jik position for five consecutive generations as one of the most prestigious families.
Even though they hadn’t held the Il-Sa-Jik position during my father’s time and no longer wielded the same level of power, the family was still considered one of the foremost noble lineages.
“Since the nobleman Yo said so, there’s nothing we can do.”
However, his pride seemed too hurt to apologize. The 7th prince muttered awkwardly and stormed out, his sleeves flaring as he turned.
As the whirlwind that was the 7th prince swept away, a sigh escaped me.
The 7th prince was known for acting impulsively and often received scoldings from the emperor for it. It earned him quite a few enemies.
But in my past life, I was never struck by the 7th prince. We had kept our distance.
Yet, in this life, he had slapped me. Even though he left in frustration, he would surely harbor resentment. My relationship with him had worsened compared to my previous life.
‘I need to support my disciple without making enemies of the other royals.’
I wasn’t in a position to fully leverage future knowledge. If I made the wrong moves and changed the future, I could face unmanageable consequences.
When the 13th prince became involved in the imperial succession, there would be enough unavoidable battles. I couldn’t afford to create personal enemies myself.
‘I need to act more shrewdly.’
“Why did you take my side?”
But the matter didn’t end with being slapped by the 7th prince.
As soon as his footsteps faded away, my disciple immediately questioned me.
Startled back into focus, I realized he was looking straight into my eyes, analyzing them. Not with a grateful expression, but with suspicion.
After all, during the countless regressions, I had been the one who killed him. For me to suddenly aid him would be questionable.
Right. Up until the last life… I had sided with the 7th prince.
Exactly. It would be strange to suddenly act friendly.
“I beg your pardon, Your Highness. I have never heard of Your Highness excelling at horseback riding.”
So I made an excuse that I acted out of concern for his inadequacies rather than in support of him.
Of course, I knew that the 13th prince’s horsemanship was far superior to most military Il-Sa-Jik. But this was during the time when he was deliberately downplaying his skills. In my previous life, I genuinely did not know of the 13th prince’s talents at this point.
So, this excuse should be sufficient.
The 13th prince’s eyes narrowed slightly. Was he recalling past events? Or was he judging the truth of my words?
After that tense moment passed, the 13th prince turned away coldly and instructed:
“Go inside. If you don’t treat it promptly, your face will bear the mark.”
Does this mean he’s letting it go… for now?
***
As soon as I returned home, I sat down at my desk and took out paper and a brush.
I racked my brain, trying to recall as many events from my previous life as possible.
I might not be able to use information as overtly as the 13th prince did, but having some knowledge could help me prepare.
Take today’s situation, for example. If I had known about the clash between the 7th and 13th princes in advance, I could have avoided being there altogether or come up with a better response.
If I hadn’t shown up where the 7th and 13th princes clashed, I could have simply comforted the 13th prince afterward.
Then he wouldn’t have looked at me with suspicion. He might have regarded me with a bit more kindness.
But trying to recall everything that happened over several years of my past life was not as easy as I had resolved it would be.
‘A trigger would help jog my memory, but trying to recall things out of nowhere isn’t working.’
Thankfully, the hunting competition was something the 7th prince mentioned, so it came to mind quickly.
Two major incidents occurred there. One was the 7th prince falling off his horse and breaking his leg, and the other was the 2nd and 6th princes getting into a fight, leading to the 9th princess being injured.
‘Those two tried to frame the 13th prince.’
Since the 9th princess was the daughter of the empress, if the powerless 13th prince were implicated, it would have been a dire situation.
However, the 13th prince was ‘luckily’ with the emperor at that time and was cleared of any suspicion.
The incident was proven false, and the emperor was furious, banning the 2nd and 6th princes from even visiting for several months.
At the time, I had thought, ‘That’s some luck.’
‘But it probably wasn’t luck.’
He must have known about the incident in advance and stayed close to the emperor to avoid danger.
I didn’t know all the details. In my previous life, I had been near the 3rd prince during the hunting competition, so I was somewhat removed from that incident.
The 3rd prince, however, had an uneventful day at the competition and came out unscathed… Alright. This time, I’ll stick near the 13th prince.
No, no. I shouldn’t. If I stick with the 13th prince, I could end up being targeted by the 2nd and 6th princes sooner than in my past life.
After the 13th prince starts vying for the throne, he will inevitably clash with all the princes except the 3rd. But until then, I shouldn’t draw unwanted attention.
Gaining the 13th prince’s favor and making unnecessary enemies are two different things.
If I try to get on the 13th prince’s good side but end up disliked by the other royals, I’ll be dead before he can even kill me.
‘In an emergency, my disciple won’t help me anyway.’
***
The day of the hunting competition.
I acted according to my plan as soon as the competition began.
As the bells signaling the start of the event echoed, I watched the royals and relatives enter the forest in order, then leisurely guided my horse into the woods.
‘I need to avoid the areas where the 13th prince and the original 3rd prince are.’
I’d love to rest in the tent, but skipping out on the emperor’s event would only earn his ire.
So, I planned to spend my time at Changseoho, the lake at the edge of the hunting grounds, and return later.
By the time I returned, the 7th prince would have broken his leg, the 9th princess would have been injured, the 2nd and 6th princes would have been reprimanded, and the 13th prince would have skillfully avoided trouble.
‘Great. Perfect.’
But soon after, I encountered something completely unexpected.
‘How could something this absurd happen?’
As I moved through the forest, breathing in its fragrance, I reassured myself, ‘Life truly is the best, let’s live a long life this time, and avoid any involvement with the 13th prince and live a healthy life.’ But soon, the sound of a quarrel reached my ears from not far away.
What’s that sound?
Although I felt curious, I stood still and listened instead of heading toward the noise, deciding to stick to a safer path.
‘Sounds like an argument?’
It was hard to catch specific words, but it was clear that two men were arguing.
“!”
No way. Could it be the 2nd and 6th princes arguing?
I remember hearing that the 9th princess was injured when the 2nd and 6th princes fought. Is this the scene of that incident?
Oh no. Is the 9th princess nearby too?
This couldn’t be happening! I had only intended to find a quiet place away from the 13th prince, and yet the secluded spot turned out to be the very site where the 9th princess would get injured! I screamed internally.
Come to think of it, in my past life, I had followed the 3rd prince, so I had no idea where the 9th princess got hurt, where the 7th prince had his accident, or where the 13th prince met the emperor.
‘It’s okay. No one has seen me yet. I should leave quietly.’
My momentary panic subsided, and I decided not to get involved and slowly turned my horse around.
Let’s head that way, quietly.
But before my horse could even take a step, I heard a frantic shout from somewhere, “Whoa! Whoa!”
Looking toward the sound, I saw a horse burst through the bushes, galloping wildly at an incredible speed.
It wasn’t coming directly at me but charging further ahead… Why was the horse running like that? And why was the rider unable to control it?
Taking a closer look, I realized the rider was the 7th prince.
The 7th prince had a terrified expression as he tried to calm the horse, but for some reason, the horse wouldn’t stop. This was unusual, considering the 7th prince’s exceptional riding skills.
In that moment, the 7th prince seemed to notice me and shouted:
“Nobleman Yo, help me!”
But even before I could attempt to help, the 7th prince was already moving away.
Not that I would have helped even if I could. If the prince’s horse was acting up due to some scheme by my disciple, intervening would have been a bad idea.
However, a few moments later, a dreadful realization hit me.
That damned prince! He called out my name as he passed! The 2nd and 6th princes must be nearby!
A chilling thought followed.
‘Could the 9th princess’s injury be connected to this?’
I’d always wondered how she ended up getting hurt during the 2nd and 6th princes’ fight. Was it because she was startled by the 7th prince’s horse incident?
I screamed internally.
Even if that were the case, as long as I didn’t get involved, I could just suppress my curiosity and quietly leave.
But of all things, the 7th prince had shouted “Nobleman Yo” as he left. The 2nd and 6th princes must have heard it.
Now that they knew I was nearby, they might drag me into the 9th princess’s injury incident instead of the 13th prince.
At that moment, a woman’s scream rang out. Something was definitely happening.
‘Damn it. I don’t have a choice.’
I had no choice but to spur my horse and rush toward the source of the earlier argument.
There, I saw the 9th princess’s horse running as wildly as the 7th prince’s had.
The 9th princess was clinging to the horse, wrapping her arms around its neck, while the 2nd and 6th princes, their faces filled with shock, were only just now mounting their horses.
So the princess wasn’t with them when they were fighting. She must have been nearby and was startled when she heard the 7th prince’s shouts.
The 2nd and 6th princes, seeing this, must have panicked and tried to help the princess but failed.
Damn it!
I turned my horse toward the 9th princess.
I had a strong feeling that if I couldn’t rescue her, I would end up being blamed for the incident the 13th prince had managed to avoid. I had to save her no matter what.
“Hyah!”
Fortunately, unlike those two princes, I was already mounted, and my riding skills had improved significantly from following the 13th prince around in my past life.
I urged my horse to move at full speed, so fast that the surrounding trees seemed to blur.
“Your Highness, hand me the reins!”
When I reached the side of the 9th princess’s horse, I shouted at her.
“I can’t let go!”
She didn’t look like she could, either.
I maneuvered my horse as close as possible to hers and grabbed the reins myself.
Then, I carefully pulled the reins to slow down the horse.
Since all the horses the royals rode were well-trained, focusing properly allowed me to calm it quickly.
“Please don’t hold the horse’s neck so tightly, Your Highness.”
I spoke to her again as the horse slowed down, and the princess loosened her death grip slightly.
The horse slowed even more, and soon the princess was safe.
“Please hold the reins, Your Highness! You should be able to stop now.”
I shouted again and handed the reins to her.
The princess reached for the reins with one arm but shook her head.
“I can’t do it! I’m going to fall!”
At that moment, when I had to control the reins myself, a tree appeared, not far from where the princess and I were.
‘Damn it!’
The tree was perfectly positioned so that if we kept moving, my arm would crash into it, breaking, and the princess’s horse would topple, throwing her to the ground.
“My apologies, Your Highness.”
With no other choice, I jumped onto the princess’s horse and directly pulled the reins to slow it down.
Fortunately, the horse calmed down immediately.
I dismounted quickly and bowed my head in apology to the princess.
“My deepest apologies, Your Highness.”
Normally, it was unacceptable to mount a royal’s horse uninvited. While it wasn’t written in the law, it was common knowledge.
But it had been an emergency, so perhaps she would understand?
Contrary to my expectations, however, the princess remained silent.
Could it be that she was about to reprimand me for my rudeness, even in such a dangerous situation?
I considered my options and looked up at her with an expression of regret and sincerity, one that women had said in my past life could melt any anger.
Although I hadn’t used this charming demeanor with princesses before, this was an emergency.
Who knew if she was shocked into silence or simply adhering to royal decorum in a crisis?
But when I met her eyes, now flushed a deep red, I realized I had made a terrible mistake.
The 9th princess’s peach-like cheeks glowed, and her gaze was unmistakably one of love at first sight.
‘This is bad.’
Just as my mind began to freeze under her intense gaze, a cold voice rang out from behind.
“What are you doing there, Master?”
—
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